pervasive media studio

Danceroom Spectroscopy | David Glowacki

Danceroom Spectroscopy (dS) is part video game, part science visualization, part art installation, and part social experiment.

Fusing 3d imaging and rigorous quantum mechanics, dS transforms people into energy fields and lets them wander through the nano-quantum world, where they trigger sounds and images.There’s no limit on the number of “players”, and the more they cooperate, the more engrossing it becomes.

The project is supported by Bristol University , EPRSC, and the Pervasive Media Studios. dS launched in spring 2011. Its development was facilitated by a series of workshops and a large scale public exhibition in the Summer of 2011 at the Arnolfini  (Bristol, UK), and its 2012 appearances include SxSW, Bristol Harbourside Festival, and the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

dS gently coaxes large groups to pay attention to one another and their own collective time scales, moods, feelings, and spirituality. The large the user group, and the more user-user cooperativity, the more captivating the results. In dS, lateral human interaction arises naturally. Contrary to typical video game experiences, if the dS technology goes down, people are left staring at each other - instead of the mass produced plastic shell of a useless console.